The present invention relates to the art of welding and, more particularly, to an informational kit which educates novice and experienced welders about various welding techniques. The invention is particularly applicable to novice welders which have little, if any, experience in the art of welding; however, the invention has broader applications and can be used to educate and/or teach intermediate or experienced welders about various welding techniques.
In the field of welding, welding techniques are typically taught to others by on the job training. Various welding trade organizations sponsor welding seminars and/or training courses to teach and/or improve the welding skills of its members. Some companies send their employers to welding trade schools. Although these various avenues of training individuals in the art of welding have been successful when training professional welders, there is little information and training available for novice, non-professional welders. Hobbyists, artists and do-it-yourself individuals purchase and use welders without ever receiving any type of training. Many of these individuals become frustrated with their lack of ability to execute a proper and/or desired weld. Other individuals that continue to weld, never learn basic welding techniques; thus, form welds of limited quality and/or variety.
Presently, welders can be purchased by individuals at automotive stores, hardware stores, and/or hobby stores. The box containing the welder typically includes limited information about the particular welder in the box. Typically, such information includes the type of welder (e.g. MIG, MAG), the type of consumable electrode used with the welder (e.g. stick, flux cored), and the output current and/or voltage of the welder. The box may also include information on the various accessories included with the welder and may also include information on the recommended uses of the welder. Contained in the box is typically an instruction manual including information on the contents of the box, basic information about the features of the welder, basic safety information when operating the welder, and information concerning troubleshooting and/or the company to contact to repair the welder. The instruction manual is typically written for individuals with prior welding experience; thus, information concerning the operation of the welder to form a particular weld is limited or non-existent.
In view of the present state of instructional resources for novice welders, there is a need for a welding instruction kit which provides information on how to use a welder, information on how to form various types of welds, and/or practice exercises to enable individuals to practice or improve their welding skills.
The present invention is directed to a novel welding kit that provides both instructional welding information to individuals and metal workpieces to enable an individual to practice his/her welding skills. The invention is particularly directed to new users of welding equipment and will be described with reference thereto; however, the welding kit can be used by experienced welders with limited experience to one area of welding as opposed to others. The welding kit can also be used as a refresher course for experienced welders that have not utilized their welding skills for a period of time.
In accordance with one object of the present invention, there is provided a welding kit that includes a welding instruction manual and a plurality of pre-cut metal pieces. In one embodiment, the welding kit can be offered to an individual separately from a welder, or the welding kit can be included in the box with the welder. In one aspect of this embodiment, the welding kit is offered separately from the welder. In another embodiment, the welding instruction manual includes various types of information concerning the use and operation of a welder. In one aspect of this embodiment, the welding instruction manual includes information on the particular types of welders recommended for use with the welding kit. Generally, the welding kit is designed to be used with one or more introductory class welders. In one specific example, the instruction manual informs the purchaser that the welding kit is to be used with a Weld Pak 100 (MIG), Weld Pak 100 (Flux Cored), and/or a Hobby Weld, all of which are manufactured by The Lincoln Electric Company. In another aspect of this embodiment, the welding instruction manual includes 1) welding safety information, 2) information about the welding kit and/or the contents of the welding kit, 3) recommended welder settings for one or more welders used with the welder kit, 4) information on striking an arc for one or more welders, 5) information on how to set up the welder, 6) information on how to connect the workpiece to a welder, 7) information on how to set up the workpiece prior to forming a weld, 8) information on how to prepare a welding work area, 9) information about one or more types of welds, 10) information how to form one or more types of welds, 11) one or more exercises on how to practice one or more types of welds, 12) information on how to form one or more welding jigs, 13) information on the types of electrodes used with a particular welder when using the welding kit, 14) information concerning various tools and/or accessories recommended or needed to fully use the welding kit in conjunction with a welder, 15) information concerning the use of various metal sheets in the welding kit, 16) information concerning the location of various metal pieces on one or more metal sheets in the welder kit; 17) one or more templates to illustrate how certain metal pieces are to be combined and/or welding locations to weld together two or more metal pieces, 18) illustrations on how to make one or more practice projects using a plurality of metal pieces, 19) information on the location of a weld on various metal pieces when practicing welds or forming a welding project, and/or 20) information concerning sources to obtain additional welding information and/or obtaining additional projects for use with the welding kit. As can be appreciated, the welder kit can include other types of information.
In accordance with another embodiment, the welding kit includes a plurality of pre-cut metal pieces to form one or more welding projects, and/or to enable an individual to practice one or more welding techniques. In one embodiment, the welding kit includes a plurality of pre-cut metal practice pieces to enable an individual to complete one or more welding exercises for a particular type of weld. In one aspect of this embodiment, the pre-cut metal practice pieces are substantially the same shape. In another aspect of this embodiment, one or more pre-cut metal practice pieces have a different shape from one or more other pre-cut metal pieces. In another embodiment, the welding kit includes a plurality of pre-cut metal project pieces to enable an individual to form one or more practice projects. In one aspect of this embodiment, the welding kit includes a plurality of pre-cut metal project pieces to enable an individual to form a plurality of practice projects. In another aspect of this embodiment, the practice projects include, but are not limited to, a toy automobile, ornamental bookends, a toy airplane, an ornamental wine rack, an ornamental candle holder, and/or an ornamental basket.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, the welder kit includes one or more metal sheets that include a plurality of pre-cut metal pieces. In one embodiment, the welding kit includes a plurality of metal sheets. In another embodiment, the metal sheets include one or more slots that at least partially define one or more pre-cut metal pieces on the metal sheet. In one aspect of this embodiment, the metal sheets include a plurality of grooves and/or slots that at least partially define a plurality of pre-cut metal pieces on the metal sheets. In one specific design, the plurality of grooves and/or slots define a majority of the perimeter of a plurality of pre-cut metal pieces. In this design, the slots sufficiently define the perimeter of one or more metal pieces to enable an individual to manually punch out the pre-cut metal pieces from the metal sheets. In another specific design, the grooves and/or slots in the metal sheets are formed by a process which includes, but is not limited to, stamping, punching, etching, laser cutting, drilling, and/or sawing.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the welder kit includes plurality of pre-cut metal pieces that have been stamped, punched, etched, laser cut, drilled, and/or sawed fro a metal sheet. As can be appreciated, one or more of the metal pieces can be formed from a mold. In one embodiment, one or more of the pre-cut pieces includes pre-smoothed edges.
In another aspect of this embodiment, one or more metal sheets and/or pre-cut metal pieces include an identifying mark to enable an individual to easily identify and locate the metal sheet that includes one or more metal practice pieces and/or one or more metal project pieces. In one specific design, one or more metal sheets include an identifying mark to indicate that one or more metal practice pieces are located on the metal sheet. In another specific design, one or more metal sheets include an identitying mark to indicate the location of one or more metal project pieces. In another specific design, one or more pre-cut metal pieces or project pieces includes an identifying mark to facilitate in indicating which metal piece is used with one or more welding projects.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, the welding kit includes a welding work surface. Typically, the welding work surface includes a substantially solid metal sheet. In one embodiment, the welding kit includes all the components for the welding work surface. In another embodiment, the welding kit includes only a portion of the welding work surface. Typically, the welding kit includes instructions on how to form the welding work surface when the welding work surface is not fully assembled. In still another embodiment, the substantially solid metal sheet includes an identification marking to enable an individual to easily identify or locate the solid metal sheet in the welding kit.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, the welding kit includes one or more welding jigs. The welding jigs are used to accurately clamp one or more welding pieces in position when forming a weld between one or more welding pieces. The welding jigs can be partially or fully formed in the welding kit. In one embodiment, the welding jigs are partially pre-cut in one or more metal sheets. In this aspect of the embodiment, one or more metal sheets include a plurality of grooves and/or slots that define at least a portion of the perimeter of the metal jigs. In one specific design, the grooves and/or slots in this metal sheet allow an individual to manually punch out the metal jigs. After the metal jigs have been punched out of the metal sheet, the metal jig can then be formed into the desired shape. In another specific design, the metal jigs include one or more grooves and/or slots which facilitate in the forming of the metal jig. In another aspect of this embodiment, the one or more metal sheets include an identifying mark to enable an individual to easily identify and locate the metal sheet that includes the one or more metal jigs.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the welding kit includes one or more positioning tips. The positioning tip is designed to assist an individual in properly spacing the welding gun from a metal practice piece and/or metal project piece when forming a weld. In one embodiment, the welding tip is designed to easily attach to the end of the welding gun and extend beyond the end of the welding gun a defined distance. The defined distance facilitates in maintaining the desired wire xe2x80x9cstickoutxe2x80x9d (i.e. length of exposed wire between the contact tip and the weld). The defined distance also facilitates in correct weld gun alignment during the formation of a weld. In one aspect of this embodiment, the positioning tip is used on welders that utilize flux cored electrodes.
The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that provides information to an individual concerning the formation of a weld.
Another and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes a welding instruction manual with instructional information concerning the formation of one or more types of welds.
Still another and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes one or more metal pieces used by an individual to practice the formation of one or more types of Welds to make one or more practice objects and/or to form one or more metal jigs.
Yet another and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes one or more metal sheets, which metal sheets include one or more metal practice pieces, one or more metal project pieces and/or one or more metal jigs.
Still yet another and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes one or more metal sheets that allow an individual to manually punch out one or more metal practice pieces, one or more metal project pieces and/or one or more metal jigs.
A further and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that enables and instructs an individual on the formation of one or more types of welds, the formation of one or more practice objects and/or the formation of one or more metal jigs.
Still a further and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes a welding work surface.
Yet a further and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes one or more templates to facilitate in the formation of one or more practice objects.
Still yet a further and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes one or more metal sheets having one or more identifying marks to enable an individual to easily and conveniently locate a particular metal sheet.
Another and/or alternative object of the present invention is the provision of a welding kit that includes a welding positioning tip.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and following the description of the invention taken together with the accompanied drawings.